deepwater challenges, such as remote operations in
extreme environments.
TDW has already developed technology that can
connect to deepwater lines and install a wide variety
of remote-controlled, third-party-client solutions, as
well as perform remote hot tapping. But operator
need is outpacing development.
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM LINE
Although the upfront cost to E & P companies
operating in extreme environments can be immense,
the potential value of these high pressure, high
temperature deepwater opportunities simply
outweighs the existing challenges. As a result, the
development, adoption and implementation of
advanced deepwater pipe materials will only increase
going forward, so having the technology to sustain
and expand these systems, while simultaneously
addressing issues of safety and securing the
environment, is more than common sense, it’s
good business.
“Due to overall economics, operators realize
they’re going to need these new pipe materials,”
says Wilson, “so industry starts with pipe, and
from there, other technologies to inspect, to repair,
and maintain must follow.”
The California Gold Rush suffered many
challenges, but today, we have the opportunity
to forge a destiny for the new Gold Rush with
careful planning, commitment to best practices,
and cooperation between operators, the service
industry, and the community they serve. When
future generations look back at “The Black Gold
Rush,” if the challenges of deepwater oil are met
thoughtfully, and with due diligence, the legacy
will be a bright one.
Deepwater, Black Gold Rush
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
I N N O V AT I O N S • A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 1 4
26
in operators’ studies, it also allows TDW to create
solutions that are more comprehensive in scope.
“Instead of channeling a request to one
department, we’re identifying what the operator’s
greater needs are and bringing distinctly different
technologies together to meet them,” Wilson says.
“We’re accelerating our progress as an integrated
concepts solution provider.”
Preparing Operators For What’s Next
So far, Lim and the teams he’s pulled together have
guided offshore operators toward sound decisions of
how to deal with pipeline flooding, pipeline blockage,
diverless subsea tie-ins, corrosion and related threats,
deepwater wax and hydrate remediation, and the
impact of dents, ruptures and repairs.
They’ve also been involved in emergency
preparedness work. This is an area where Lim and
Wilson see tremendous opportunity for the industry,
particularly in planning ahead to minimize the effects
of unexpected events ranging from infrastructure
damage to weather disasters. The Emergency Pipeline
Repair System (EPRS) studies that TDW offers not
only calculate the probability of failure, they also
demonstrate the potential risks of various emergency
situations and outline different repair scenarios.
And with aging pipelines (30 percent of the
world’s 250,000 km [155,343 miles] of offshore
pipelines are at least two decades old); unpiggable
lines (about 50 percent of offshore pipelines can’t be
pigged); and pipelines simply too deep to be reached
safely by divers, offshore companies have
a lot of risk to avert.
Which means George Lim, the guru of
TDW’s Engineering Services department, has
a lot to contemplate.
